Temptations
by fairy-lights1
Summary: Cedric's gone, her father's dying and she's working for Voldemort. Cho only has 1 person to turn to from her horrible world; Draco. But when Harry steps into her life, and Hermione into Draco's, things could turn ugly. {REVISED}
1. Sucronum

Temptations

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters that you recognise in this story. They all belong to the wonderful author known as J.K Rowling. I don't own the sweet song below either… _The Voice Within. _

A/N: **First** chapter of my **first** fic devoted to the controversial couple; DM/CC. 

**(Revised and Rewritten)**

Young girl don't hide  
You'll never change if you just run away  
Young girl just hold tight  
Soon you're gonna see your brighter day

When you're safe inside your room you tend to dream  
Of a place where nothing's harder than it seems  
No one ever wants or bothers to explain  
Of the heartache life can bring and what it means  
  


Chapter 1: Sucronum

The hooded figure laughed wickedly as the beaten man slumped down onto the cold stone floor. "Get up," he commanded in an icy voice. His red eyes shone like rubies in the dark, black dungeon. When nothing happened, his thin lips turned into a horrible smirk. "I did it," he hissed proudly.

The rugged man, covered in dirt and bruises, appeared to be dead. Voldemort bent down and his chilly hands tapped the man's face forcefully. Slowly, his eyes opened and he shivered as he saw Voldemort's piercing glare. He opened his mouth to speak, but found that it was much harder than he thought. 

Voldemort sniggered. "What? Has the cat got your tongue, Mr. Knowles?" he said with delight. The man tried to back away from the Dark Lord, but his body was rooted to the spot. He couldn't move. 

He felt pain beyond anything he had ever endured before. It's as if he had nothing left in him. He gathered what was left of his strength and spluttered out, "You'll—pay." 

Voldemort's sinister laugh ran through the dungeon. "You think so, do you?" he drawled, twirling his wand around. "Well, we'll see about that… AVADA KEDAVRA!"

***

The blazing fire crackled loudly in the dining room of Lucius Malfoy. The long and seemingly endless table was set for the meeting; it was lined with red candles burning lightly and it was clothed in a dark, velvety material. Lucius stood with his face as cold as ice, in a dark black robe, marked with the burning green emblem of the Dark Mark. Narcissa stood beside him, as graceful and as beautiful as ever, in a light green evening dress. 

Draco stood tall next to his father, bored and confused. Apparently the Dark Lord had a surprise for them tonight. Surely it must be yet another stupid idea to kill Potter. A gust of wind blew around them, and Death Eaters, lots of them, Apparated into the dining room.

They gathered around the table with grim faces and took their seat. Draco ended up sitting next to Avery, a tall and thin Death Eater. Silence took over them as thunder roared from above. Outside, it began to rain heavily, and water trickled down the glass-panelled windows. 

At the head of the table, a cloud of smoke suddenly appeared, spinning and spinning, until it looked like a little black tornado. Wormtail was the first to step out of it, with his pale, silver hand gleaming under the light of the fire. Voldemort came out next, as the smoke died down. His face was pale and deadly. He had mad, red eyes and a flat nose, with slits like a snake.

The Death-Eaters all bowed low at his arrival, and muttered heavily, "Welcome, Oh Dark Lord, the Greatest Wizard of all time."

"Ah," said Voldemort in a low, rough voice. "As most of you know, I have a special surprise for you today. But firstly, I must remind you of Dumbledore's growing allies. I was informed that he might have a special 'plan' that he is brewing up to try and defeat me." 

"So what should we do about it, Master?" Avery asked.

Voldemort's eyes flashed. "We will grab hold of his plans from (who else)… Harry Potter." The room burst into a frenzy of murmurs and whispers. "That brings me to my special surprise tonight!" shouted Voldemort and the room fell silent once more.

"They'll be here any moment now…" he murmured in a menacing tone. It was midnight. The Death Eaters glanced at each other uneasily, eager to find out what Voldemort had planned. Draco could feel a soft breeze passing through him. A moment later, three people Apparated into the room. 

Draco's heart seemed to leap into his throat as he recognized the teenage girl that stood among her parents. The Ravenclaw Seeker, Cho Chang.

***

Voldemort smiled at his 'surprise'. "Everybody," he said to his stunned followers. "Please welcome the Chang family."

Everybody was too shocked to say, or do, anything. Draco could tell how scared Cho was. She was looking around the room nervously, her eyes wide with fear. He wondered if she had seen him. 

"I brought them here for one reason. To help me extract information from Harry Potter," he said simply. The Death Eaters were terribly confused, and so was Draco.

Voldemort saw the blank faces before him and sighed impatiently._ "_It's so simple… I was informed by McNair here that Harry Potter has a crush…"

Draco's heart skipped a beat.

"What better way to trick Potter into telling Dumbledore's plans than by using his crush? She could charm him, flatter him, and subsequently **make him tell," Voldemort said, fixing his eyes unto Cho.**

The Death Eaters examined the petite, pretty girl carefully. Cho looked horrified and her fists were clenched together. Her father became outraged. "That wasn't part of the deal!" he yelled out angrily.

Voldemort glared at him. "Alan Chang," he said calmly. "I told you I'll give you a fair reward if you and your family do as I wish."

"I won't do it," Cho's clear voice rang out. Voldemort slowly turned and stared at Cho. She shivered and tried to avoid his intense red eyes. But she couldn't take her eyes off his; it was as if she was being hypnotized.

Voldemort sneered. "Are you sure about that?" he asked, walking towards her. Alan Chang stood in front of his daughter, shielding her from Voldemort.

"Yes," answered Cho fiercely. Voldemort laughed; a loud, bellowing laugh.

"I'm taking my family out of here!" yelled Alan, grabbing Cho's hand. His face was strained, and Draco could tell he regretted the fact that he had fallen to Voldemort's promises and lies.

"NO ONE breaks a deal with ME!" shouted Voldemort furiously. He raised his wand, its polished tip gleaming furiously under the pale moonlight. "Now you will pay, Chang! SUCRONUM!"

A jet of black light hit Alan squarely on the stomach. The shining light wrapped itself around his body, nearly suffocating him. He could take it no more, as he let out a scream of pain and anguish. The black rope now travelled _inside his body, as he slumped down unto the floor, his face deadly pale and exhausted._

Draco flinched. He saw Cho, frozen solid at the sight of her father's limp body sprawled under her feet. Her usual, fresh skin was now pale, and lifeless. Her eyes were dark, full of hatred, anger and unshed tears.

But it wasn't over. The dark light came out of Alan's body; it was now a pale, silvery grey. It hovered over to Voldemort and he breathed it in, then his body became illuminated with a bright, white light. After a few more agonizing moments, the white light was gone and Voldemort looked more powerful than ever.

Cho's mother let out an ear-splitting scream and rushed over to check for Alan's pulse. Cho didn't move. She just stood there, her eyes glazed with tears. Voldemort grinned at her. "So, have you changed your mind?"

***

**~END~**

I know the story may not be right with the HP series, but it's no big deal, OK? OK. Gosh, editing this story made me want to add in more 'chemistry' between Draco and Cho… *grumbles* Must. Fight. Temptation. To. Write. Fluff! I think 'infiltrate the enemy fat kid' will be very ashamed of me…*hangs head in shame*

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	2. Trapped

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters that you recognise in this story. They all belong to the wonderful author known as J.K Rowling. I don't own the sweet song below either… _Angel_

A/N: So much editing… So many mistakes… Must sleep…

_I need some distraction_

_Oh beautiful release_

_Memory seeps from my veins_

_Let me be empty,_

_Or weightless and maybe_

_I'll find some peace tonight_

_In the arms of an angel_

_Fly away from here_

From this dark cold hotel room 

_And the endlessness that you fear_

_You are pulled from the wreckage_

_Of your silent reverie_

_You're in the arms of an angel_

_May you find_

_Some comfort here_

Chapter 2: Trapped 

_Voldemort grinned at her. "So, have you changed your mind?"_

_***_

Cho looked at Voldemort fiercely, trying desperately to keep calm and collected. "Tell me what you did to my father," she said. Voldemort eyed her slowly and smiled.

"Ah, it's a new spell I've invented. It's called the Powerless spell as it leaves the victim, well, powerless…" Voldemort chuckled to himself. Cho glared at him in disgust. 

"You mean—he's not dead?" she asked, as a look of relief passed by her face.

Voldemort shook his head. "No, but he's not alive either. You see, his mind is still working properly, but his body is slowly deteriorating. The white light that you saw coming out of his body was his power and strength. And it had been transferred into…_me_," he said joyfully.

Cho ignored his cheery tone. "And can you fix him? Make him normal again?" 

"Well, of course my dear. Once I invent a new spell, I also make a counter-spell for it. In this case though, it's a counter-_potion_," answered Voldemort, his eyes shining brightly.

"All right. Give my father the potion and I will do what I am told," she said, biting her lips nervously.

Voldemort laughed again. "No, no, no, _my dear_. That is not how it works. _You'll_ do as you're told and _then_ I'll cure your pathetic father," he replied, smiling at her.

Cho shuddered and hesitated. 

"Make your decision; time is important. Your father is very, very slowly dying. Do you want to save him or not? This is your only chance," said Voldemort softly, as he circled around Cho like a vulture waiting to strike its prey.

"Get away from me," cried Cho. 

Voldemort sniggered. "So, what will it be?"

Cho's tears cascaded down her face as she bent down and stroked her father's face gently. "I'm sorry…" she whispered. She stood up, wiping the tears off her face with her hands. "I'll do it," she said. 

"That's what I call a good deal," said Voldemort.

***

Draco gulped. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Chang; she had lost her boyfriend Diggory last year, and now her father's practically dead too. 

"But that is not all…" Voldemort said, his eyes glinting with menace. "I have my own plan; a plan that will make me invincible; a plan that, if successful, would ensure that I _will conquer_ the entire wizarding realm."

All the Death Eaters were at the edge of their seats. They waited with anticipation. Cho's eyebrows were furrowed; wondering if this will have anything to do with her. But instead, Voldemort said, "And for this to work, I will need…Granger."

Both Draco and Cho gasped aloud. Each thought desperately: _Why would Voldemort want Hermione Granger?_

Beside Draco, Avery asked the very same question, "Why would you need that Mudblood, My Lord?"

Voldemort smirked at Avery. "You'll see, Avery…You'll see," was his reply. "I will need someone to smuggle her out of Hogwarts into a place that I will provide. It _should_ be a very simple job. Lucius, I trust your son is willing to do it?" asked Voldemort, his red eyes boring into Draco's.

Lucius gaped at Voldemort. "Ahem," he said after a while. "Ye—Yes, of course, My Lord. Anything—Anything for you… My son is at your service."

Draco felt as though a Stunning Spell had hit him. His eyes travelled over to Cho, who was already looking at him with her wide, brown eyes. _'Smuggle' Granger out of Hogwarts? _Suddenly he had the urgent need to go to the bathroom and vomit.

Voldemort however, couldn't be happier. "Then all is ready," he said with an unmistakable note of triumph in his voice. "By the way, would anyone like to guess who will be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher this year?" he asked calmly, looking over to Draco and Cho.

Rushing wind could be heard sweeping past the room, and with the swish of a cloak, the figure of a slim woman appeared. Her beaming, silvery hair was too obvious, as Draco let out a cry of surprise.

"Fleur??"

***

"My fellow Death Eaters, please welcome our new member, Fleur Delacour. She had decided to join us after… a terrible incident," announced Voldemort. He laughed merrily and clapped Fleur's back.

Fleur's sea blue eyes tingled as she felt the chill from Voldemort's touch entered her body. She smiled sweetly. All the Death Eaters looked at her with wonder. Clearly her beauty took them aback.

Cho raised her eyebrows. _Voldemort certainly have a natural talent at getting people to trust him. First my father, then Fleur…_

Voldemort's frosty voice pierced through her thoughts. "It is certainly very convenient that Fleur will be teaching at Hogwarts this year. For she will be keeping her eyes on you as carefully as possible, and will report your progress to me," he said. "So you _can not_ do anything wrong. Is that clear?"

Cho nodded; so did Draco. Voldemort seemed satisfied. "All right, all is well. Fleur, please escort these two children out of here, and you will have a talk with them I presume," ordered Voldemort.

Cho stood still. "What about my parents?" she asked, her voice quavering. 

"You and your parents will stay here until it is time for you to go to Hogwarts," answered Voldemort briskly. 

Fleur then gestured for Draco and Cho to follow her out the door. Draco felt relieved to be able to escape from that horrible dining room. Fleur walked ahead of them, her silvery hair glowing lightly in the dark corridor.

Draco and Cho walked, each not saying a single word. They glanced at each other uneasily once in a while, but each had a lot of things on their mind.

They made their way along the corridor, continuing to use Fleur's bright hair as a source of guide light among the increasing darkness that enveloped them. Cho finally broke the silence. "Malfoy, is your family allergic to light or something?" she asked, squinting to see if Fleur was still visible.

Draco snapped out of his thoughts. "No, but old Voldie is. He gets really bad acne when he spends too much time under the sun... or the moon."

Cho smiled faintly. "Aren't you scared?"

"What? About having to smuggle Granger out of Hogwarts? Nope," Draco answered briefly.

"No, about the fact that Voldemort is going to kill you if you fail. Think about it."  
  


Draco stayed silent. "Right, I've thought about it," he said after a while. "Nope."

***

Fleur led them into the living room, which was splendorous. The floor was covered with a furry, red carpet and the walls were lined with green tapestries that depicted the Malfoy family in a battle. A young Lucius Malfoy was running around from one end of the room to the other, chasing a dark-haired man with a sharp, blood-stained knife.

"Wow, nice decorations," commented Cho, scrunching her nose.

They sat down on one of the soft, green sofas and focused onto Fleur. She was standing up in front of them, her hands clasped together. Her face was paler than usual, even with the tinge of blush on her cheeks. Her shiny hair glimmered in the dark and she looked at Draco and Cho carefully in silence.

"Wake me up when you're going to talk," said Draco, laying his head back onto the comfy sofa.

Fleur seemed to have woken up from her trance and her blue eyes snapped. "Oh, right," she finally said. "I am sorry. All right, now onto your tazks… I believe Ze Dark Lord haz talked to you about it?"

"Yes," answered Draco sternly. "And we won't need to get over it again. Now, tell us, how did you come to be a Death Eater?"

Fleur's eyes darkened. "Draco Malfoy! Zat is none of your business. Now, pleaze do not azk any more… _personal_ questionz. Iz zat clear?" she asked, almost angrily.

"Az clear az ice," said Draco, smirking sweetly.

Fleur shook her head. "I do not like your attitude, young man. How are you going to convinze that young lady to get out of Hogwartz if you are zo rude?"

Cho chuckled. 

Draco's reply was interrupted by a cold voice from the door. "Everything all right, Fleur?" asked Voldemort's dark figure, his red eyes monitoring their every move.

Fleur seemed restless and turned around nervously. "Ye—Yes Master," she replied, her hands shaking a little. "Cho, Draco, you may leave now."

They did as they were told and Voldemort closed the living room door. Draco and Cho immediately placed their ears on the thick mahogany door, but found that they could not hear anything except for a few muffled noises. 

"I bet you he cast a Silencing Spell on that room, so we couldn't hear anything," said Draco disappointedly.

"I wonder what they're saying," murmured Cho. She yawned; tonight was the longest night of her life. Every second that had gone by seemed to be a million years ago. 

Suddenly, they could hear footsteps from behind the door. Draco took Cho by the hand and jerked her forwards. "Quick! They're coming!" he whispered fiercely. They ran into Draco's bedroom, forcing their legs to work as swiftly as possible. Cho slammed the Draco's bedroom door shut and breathed in deeply.

"Close one," muttered Cho. She slid down onto the floor and rested her head on the hard oak door. "Ugh, I've never been so tired in my entire life."

Draco slumped onto his bed. "I can't wait until all this is over."

"Me too," murmured Cho, swearing to herself that she would get her father back to normal. No matter what.

***

**~END~**

_*yawns* Sooo sleepy… _

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_*has nightmares about writing fluff in future chapters*_

**CLICK**

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	3. Painful Remembrance

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters that you recognise in this story. They all belong to the wonderful author known as J.K Rowling. I don't own the song below either… _Innocent Eyes_

A/N: WARNING: Soppy stuff coming through…Note to self: Can Not Write Fluff. *shudder* 

_Na na na na na na_

_Seems I'm lost in my reflection_

_Na na na na na na _

_Find a star for my direction_

_Na na na na na na_

_For the little girl inside_

_Who won't just hide_

_Don't let me see mistakes and lies_

_Let me keep my_

_Faith and innocent eyes_

Chapter 3: Painful Remembrance

_"Me too," murmured Cho, swearing to herself that she would get her father back to normal. No matter what._

_***_

Cho visited her father almost everyday after that. He was put in one of the spare guest bedrooms in the enormous Malfoy Mansion. 

Every time she entered his room, she would see a limp man lying on the green-quilted bed. Every time she saw him, she would see a pale, helpless man who had grey eye bags under his exhausted eyes. Every time he gazed at her, she could no longer see the love and fondness that used to linger constantly in his eyes. Every time she touched him, she would feel an icy breeze sweeping past her. And every time she did all this, she would swear, over and over again, that she would save him.

She spent a lot of time in the Malfoy Botanical Gardens too. It was quite beautiful and mellow, compared to the dark surroundings of the rest of the house. She would sit on a particular rusted old bench, which had very intricate and elaborate carvings of various flowers. She would listen to the nightingale, singing the same soothing melody, which would make her feel a little bit better.

It was the last day of the summer holidays. Tomorrow she would have to go on board the Hogwarts Express and face the challenges that would meet her. So it was nice to relax in her usual comfortable bench, bathing under the warm afternoon sun, listening to the stillness of the garden. 

She was just about to doze off when the rustling of leaves could be heard. It was heading her way. She gripped the bench tightly. A tall figure emerged from behind the bushes. 

The blond Slytherin stepped out, and was surprised when he saw her.

Cho's tense shoulders relaxed. "Oh, Malfoy," she said. "Hi."

Draco's glassy eyes flickered. "Chang, you shouldn't be alone here…" he said, and sat next to her.

Cho laid back on the bench and stretched her hands. "It's nice here," she murmured sleepily. "And it is safe, isn't it?"

Draco nodded. "Yeah, of course. Father hexed this place so that no outside visitors could come in. But you better be careful when you're roaming around; you might find a nasty surprise," he said.

"Thanks for the advice."

"So," started Draco. "Ready for tomorrow?"

Cho groaned. "Oh, please don't remind me of Hogwarts…" she said tiredly. "The more I think about it, the more I see myself being killed by Voldemort."

Draco sniggered. "Why? Potter likes you. Surely getting some simple information out of his tiny, minuscule brain isn't going to be a lot of hard work," he said, grinning sheepishly.

Cho looked at him. "It's much more complicated than that, Malfoy," she said, and sighed. "You see--" she hesitated.

"You don't like him?" asked Draco incredulously. "It doesn't matter, Chang! It's not-"

Cho interrupted him. "No! I think it's the other way around. _Harry_ doesn't like _me!_" she said loudly. The incidents of last year were rushing through her mind. "And I don't blame him for not liking me," she muttered with guilt.

Draco's eyes sparkled. "Oh, I see," he said softly. "Let me guess. He asked you out, you turned him down _again_, and now he's given up on you. Right?" 

Cho laughed. "I _wish_. No, it was much worse than that," she replied, and stopped. She saw Draco's curious eyes boring into hers, waiting for an answer, and sighed dejectedly. 

"Harry thinks I'm an unstable, depressing girl who still can't get over the fact that her boyfriend's dead," said Cho. She bit her lips. "You must understand that last year, I _was_ unstable, and I _was_ depressed. And I _did_ refuse to believe that Cedric was dead…" Her eyes misted over. "Last year I was—_stupid_."

Draco watched her. "I must agree with you on that one," he said silently. "I—Last year I saw you crying all the time, in lessons, at Quidditch practice, everywhere…" he said truthfully.

Cho sniffed. "Yes I know," she replied, and smiled at him. "I wanted to find out _exactly_ what happened to Cedric… Did he say anything about me before—before his death? I had so many questions to ask. But no one could answer them for me… So I knew I had to ask Harry." She took a deep breath of fresh air. "Then I joined the DA, Dumbledore's Army," she said, and glared at Draco, who had an amused look on his face.

He coughed. "Sorry I had to—you know—ruin your happy little group and all… I just _had_ to do it," he said earnestly, but his trademark smirk was plastered on his face. "What happened in the Dumb Army? I mean, Dumbledore's Army?" he asked interestedly.

Cho frowned good-naturedly at him, and continued. "Harry—He—He was a really, really good leader. He taught me spells that I hadn't even learnt in class. He was brave, courageous…but he had this soft and emotional side of him that I really admire…"

"I think I'm going to puke," said Draco.

Cho shook her head and smiled. "Anyway, I started having feelings for Harry--"

"—I'm _seriously_ going to puke on you if you don't stop all this fluffy stuff—"

"All right, all right! So before I can, you know, get to know Harry better, I really wanted to clear up all the questions I had about Cedric's death. But each time, he wouldn't answer them; he'd just change the subject. It was as if—As if he didn't care—he didn't care at all…" Cho trailed off. 

"So…" started Draco.

"I got worse and worse… And I was confused; I was terribly confused… And then Harry was mad at me because of what Marietta did. He blamed me for bringing Marietta to the group. How was I supposed to know Marietta would blow our cover? She was a very nervous girl; and so maybe she got scared for breaking the rules… I don't know… It was all very complicated…" she finished, looking at Draco with her wide brown eyes. 

Draco stared at her. Then he shrugged. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure something out," he said simply.

Cho raised her eyebrows. "That's it?" she asked unbelievingly. "That's all you've got to say to me?"

Draco smiled. Cho had never seen him smile like that before. It wasn't his normal cheeky smirk; it was a real decent smile. He suddenly looked very handsome indeed. Cho shook her head; this just wasn't the time to think about such things…

"Well, it was nice talking to you about it anyway," she said with an awkward smile. 

She got up from the bench and started to walk back to the house, but Draco held her back by the hand. "Wait," he said gruffly. "I wanted to—ask you something…"

Cho turned back and her eyes met his. The connection was strong, and critical. He looked concerned, and almost—almost hopeful about something. She broke the eye contact and looked down instead. Something about the strength and intensity of his eyes made her heart beat faster and slower at the same time.

"Ye—Yes?" she asked, suddenly founding that her throat had gone dry.

He let go of her hand. "Are—Are you over Cedric?" he asked.

Cho looked back up, and she saw again, Draco's clear, smooth grey eyes. He was concealing something, she noted. With a painful pang, she remembered Cedric's dark blue eyes. She could always tell what he was thinking… But with Draco…

"Are you, Chang?" Draco asked, again. 

Cho caught a flash of bright light lit up inside his cold eyes. Her throat closed up.__

"Of course, Malfoy," she answered.  "Yes, I'm over Cedric."

***

**~END~**

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_Cho's point of view of Harry's fifth year… Good/bad? Got anything to annoy me about? *grumbles* I had way too much coffee… _

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_Can you believe Draco just said, _"—I'm _seriously_ going to puke on you if you don't stop all this **fluffy stuff**—"?? _When did I ever write that? Clearly I have much more editing to be done *cringe*_

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_UUGGHH! Someone take that coffee away from me!_

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	4. First Encounter

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters that you recognise in this story. They all belong to the wonderful author known as J.K Rowling. I don't own the sweet song below either… _In My Own Time_

A/N: Lucky this chapter didn't need as much editing… At least I won't go high on coffee again.

_So much is happening to me.   
So much that I can't even see.   
So many words of wisdom that I am trying to be.   
Catch me if I should fall.   
And even more so while I'm standing tall.   
  
My head is spinning around and it's making me dizzy.   
I'm spinning around and it's making me ill.   
You don't understand what I'm going through just to find a way to climb.   
It'll be in my own time.   
It'll be in my own time.   
  
_

Chapter 4: First Encounter

_"Of course, Malfoy. Yes, I'm over Cedric."_

_***_

Cho and Draco stood as straight as soldiers on Platform 9 and ¾. Hundreds of witches and wizards, both young and old were streaming into the red Hogwarts Express, ready to start another year. But Cho wasn't ready. She could tell Draco wasn't either. Seeing everybody's worried and anxious faces didn't lift up her spirits; instead it made her feel even guiltier.

_They're all afraid of Voldemort_, Cho thought, frowning slightly. _And I'm actually doing his filthy work for him…_

They've got five more minutes. Cho thought of her dying father, locked up in Malfoy Mansion, and took a deep breath. Draco glanced at her and smiled faintly. Finally, they boarded the Hogwarts Express.

"Good luck, Malfoy," Cho whispered before they separated into different compartments. 

Draco's grey eyes flickered. "You too," he replied.

Cho slid open the compartment door. At once, the chattering made by Cho's group of friends ceased. They all eyed her carefully, surprised by her sudden change of appearance. To them, Cho's face looked tired and weary. Her bright eyes were clouded with a strange mist and she seemed to be thinner. But even though she looked completely exhausted, her grace and her sense of charm were still very noticeable.

"Hi Cho," her close friend, Lauren called out. 

"Hi everyone," Cho murmured quietly as she sat down next to Marietta. 

"I want to talk to you outside _now_," Marietta whispered urgently. Her terrible acne had apparently disappeared and her face seemed to be back to normal.

Cho stared at her and nodded. "Erm—excuse us for a moment… We're going to—We're going to go somewhere, all right?" said Marietta, quickly leading Cho out the door.

Cho dragged along, wondering what Marietta was up to. They walked out onto the train's platform and Cho leaned out the railings, feeling the soft breeze that swept past her. "Anything wrong, Marietta?" she asked.

Marietta looked down awkwardly. "Cho, I don't know if you have figured this out, but my parents are Death-Eaters…" she said, her dark eyes shining guiltily.

Cho gaped at her. _Of course_, she thought suddenly. _That explains what she did last year…_

"So—So you betrayed the DA on purpose…" muttered Cho slowly. "No—I didn't—I didn't know, Marietta." Her eyes widened. "That means you know—You know about the meeting at Malfoy's house?"

Marietta nodded, still looking extremely guilty. "Yes," she answered. "My parents told me everything… From Fleur being a Death Eater, your task… and your father. I'm really sorry, Cho," she said sympathetically, patting Cho's back.

Cho looked at the beautiful scenery that was rushing by her. Rolling green meadows, clear blue rivers, grey jagged mountains… She sighed. "Now you know how important this task is to me…"

"Cho," started Marietta. "I'll do _anything_; anything to make up for not telling you about my identity after all these years… I know it's because of me that Harry doesn't like you anymore…"

Cho cut her off. "No, Marietta," she said sternly. "It wasn't because of you; it was me. It was the way I acted last year; and I—I won't act like that this year."

Marietta grinned. "Promise you won't?" she asked.

"I promise," replied Cho and with that, she pulled Marietta into a tight embrace.

***

Draco stood outside Harry's compartment, his fingers twitching uneasily. They were just a few centimetres from the door. _Just open it_, he thought to himself. But for once in his life, he couldn't find the courage to. Crabbe and Goyle were standing behind him impatiently, giving him a slight push on the back every once in a while.

Draco was angry at the way he was behaving. _It shouldn't be this hard_, he thought to himself irritatingly. _It's just Granger…_ But every time he thought of her name, his stomach would wobble like jelly.

Draco felt a tap on his shoulder. He couldn't take it anymore. Even his stupid bodyguard was braver than him. "That's it, Goyle," he finally announced. "Stop bothering me or I'll tell everyone that you sleep with a pink teddy bear called Bobo."

"Ahem," he heard a soft voice said. He silently groaned and turned around. "Get out of here, Chang," he said annoyingly.

Cho and Marietta grinned amusedly at him. "Are you going in or what?" Cho asked, folding her arms.

"It's not funny, Chang," muttered Draco roughly, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks. 

Cho laughed. "Aww, come on Malfoy," she encouraged him. "It won't be _that_ hard… Trust me; just give it a try at least."

Draco gave her a defeated sneer. "Oh yeah?" he said. "Well, I'd rather see _you _try it first, since you're so confident."

Cho could feel sweat trailing down her face. She made up her mind. "All right!" she said loudly, and straightened her back. "I'll do it."

Draco's grey eyes flashed. He stood silent for a while, watching her. "Good for you, Chang. I'll just go back to my compartment then," he said and walked away, with Crabbe and Goyle at his heels.

Marietta grinned. "That is one defeated Malfoy. Nice work!" she said.

Cho watched the blond head disappeared around the corner. She sighed. "I'm worried about him…"

Marietta arched her eyebrows. "Why on earth would you be worried about a cold-blooded, over-confident and discourteous Malfoy?"

Cho shrugged. "Really, he isn't _that_ bad." It was true, she thought. During the holidays, she spent most of her time with Draco. Even though he was often rude and had an acid sense of humour sometimes, she had to admit that Draco seemed to be quite a good listener. Cho shook her head. Why was she thinking about these things? 

"Cho," Marietta's voice brought her back to the task at hand. "Rachel just called me; she needed my help about something. Now, I suggest you open that door and talk to Harry. For all we know, he _might_ still like you," she said with a wink.

Cho's shoulders drooped. "How many times do I have to tell you? He doesn't like me anymore… I just know it—he doesn't look at me the way he used to… He doesn't blush anymore; he's just—different now," she said.

Marietta smiled weakly. "It doesn't hurt to try. Good luck," she said, and left.

With her heart thumping ferociously, Cho reached over to slide the compartment door. She felt pain inside her chest; it was stinging. Her heart seemed to be boring into her ribs. She was too nervous; her hands were shaking out of control. And yet, the compartment door opened noiselessly.

The first face she saw was Harry's, his bright green eyes standing out from his thin face. He stared at her for a moment, his lips pressed together. Cho didn't see the bright flash that used to sparkle in his eyes whenever he saw her. She didn't see the faint pink blush crawling up his cheeks. She didn't see anything, except that he was having a very good time, surrounded by his friends.

Her heart, which was beating rapidly, suddenly slowed down, almost stopping, as she realised that she was an outsider, and intruder; she was unwelcomed. She could tell by their faces. None of them were pleased when they saw her. Instead they gawked at her, as though blaming her for disturbing them.

"Oh," she choked out, when total silence engulfed them. "Hello," was all that she could manage; her throat was burning. Harry's eyes were still staring straight at her, giving no emotions. They all mumbled some sort of greeting very quietly, and she could tell they were very uncomfortable by her presence.

Cho couldn't stand the stillness any longer. "So—Sorry," she stammered. "Wrong compartment," she said promptly and quickly sped out into the corridor, slamming the door behind her. She wanted to run. Anywhere. From her embarrassment and obvious failure.

Running out of breath, she leaned against the wall, ruffling her hair. Her throat was throbbing. With grim amusement, she realised she had only said 3 words in total. This was just too much. She felt ashamed of herself.

"Cho?" a voice called out. She turned around, hoping it was Harry. It wasn't.

"Oh, Marietta," she said rather disappointedly. She held up her hand before Marietta could speak. "It was horrible," she summed up.

Marietta nodded quietly. "It's fine, Cho," she said as happily as she could. "There'll be plenty more of opportunities in Hogwarts. In a couple of days, Harry will be head over heels in love with you again." She grinned.

Cho laughed feebly. "I sure hope you're right."

***

The many turrets and towers of Hogwarts loomed above them. Cho let out a cry of surprise as thunder roared from above. "Weather here can be unpredictable," she whispered to herself. The fine sunny day had suddenly disappeared, replaced by grey masses of clouds and the trickling of rain. Cho felt more miserable than before.

"We're not even at Hogwarts yet, and my day has been completely ruined," she muttered to Marietta, who gave her an understanding smile in return.

The rain began to splatter down, making the window blurry and foggy. The train soon halted to a stop, and all the students were rapidly speeding out of the train, wanting to get inside the carriages that were waiting for them as soon as possible.

Cho saw a glimpse of Draco's blond hair as she stumbled out, covering her wet hair with her hands. "Let's find a carriage!" she shouted to Marietta amidst all the bustling and shoving. The rain was now absolutely _pouring_ down and the ground was very slippery to walk on.

"CHO! CHO!" she could hear someone screaming out her name. She turned around. It was Fleur, waving her hands frantically. 

"Got to go, Marietta," she said quickly, and ran towards Fleur. She could see that Draco was standing beside her, completely drenched. He didn't look too happy.

"Right," said Fleur, shivering slightly. "You two, go into zat carriage over there!" she said loudly, pointing to an empty carriage on her right.

Draco nodded and ran speedily towards the carriage, glad to get out of the rain. Cho followed suit, her clothes wet with rainwater. She was freezing.  

They arrived inside the carriage, and things weren't exactly comfortable. Draco let out a cry of anguish. "I am completely soaked!"

Cho rolled her eyes. "It's not the end of the world, Draco. Besides, you look better with your hair wet--" She stopped dead. _What did I just say?_

Draco smirked at her, whilst squeezing the water out of his robes. "Pity I can't say the same about you, Chang," he replied, eyeing her watery state.

"Ha, ha," said Cho irritably. 

"So how did your meeting with Potter--" Draco began, but stopped when he saw Fleur coming their way, with Harry and Hermione trailing behind her.

"Oh shit," he muttered angrily. "That's just great. I'm going to _kill_ that French arsehole once I get my hands on her." He was, undoubtedly, in a very bad mood.

Cho shook her head. "No need to say nasty things about Fleur, Malfoy," she said, wrinkling her nose. "At least you'll be able to annoy them on the carriage ride. I'm sure Hermione would really like _that_."

Draco frowned. "Nope, that's it. I'm going to keep my mouth shut," he said decidedly.

Cho gaped at him. "What?? You've got to say _something_," she whispered desperately. Harry and Hermione were nearly at the carriage. "You can't make me do all the talking!" The incident at the train was whirling in her mind.

"It's like what they say: 'If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all', right?" said Draco. "I don't want Granger to hate me, especially since I'm in a very angry mood."

The door of the carriage opened, and Cho gasped silently. "Would you mind if 'arry and 'ermione sit with you?" Fleur asked, her blue eyes shining brightly.

"Umm-No, of—of course not," Cho answered, gulping nervously. Draco grunted impatiently.

Fleur beamed at them. "Very good zen," she said, ushering the completely bewildered Harry and Hermione into the carriage. She shut the door tightly. 

The carriage started to move, very slowly. Cho sat rigidly on her seat, not knowing what to say. All she could hear was the sound of the rain pattering down on the roof of the carriage, nothing else.

Beside her, Draco was keeping his promise and his lips were glued together. Harry was sitting directly opposite her, looking out the window. Hermione was fretting over her wet hair, but she was keeping very quiet.

The agonising ride continued. Cho wished it would end soon. Her day had already been bad enough. She could see Harry and Draco glaring at each other hatefully.

Suddenly Harry cleared his throat. Cho sat straight, wishing he would say something. "Have you been enjoying your holidays, Cho?" he finally asked.

Cho grinned happily. "Y-Yes," she said as clearly as she could. "How about you?" Her eyes widened with horror. _Stupid question._ He had lost his godfather last year…

But Harry just looked at her with his emerald eyes glowing brightly. "Mine was--" he started. "Bearable." He smiled.

Cho let out a relieved breath. Draco was shuffling uneasily next to her. Maybe he was thinking of what to say to Hermione.

But Harry asked, "Are—Are you all right, Cho?"

Cho looked up at him. She could hardly believe it. Her heart leapt. "Ye—Yeah," she stammered, her brown eyes shining brightly. "I'm fine now, really," she added truthfully. It was as if there were only two people in the carriage; her and Harry.

"I haven't felt this good for—for a long time," she said confidently, and grinned.

Harry smiled back. His green eyes sparkled merrily. "That's great, Cho," he said cheerfully. 

Draco jerked up in his seat. He didn't feel right for some reason. 

They were nearly there. Cho laid back, breathing a sigh of relief. _Maybe my day isn't ruined after all_, she thought with a smile.

***

**~END~**

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_At this point, I know I will eventually have to write some fluff. *panics* So now I will start on chapter 6, which will be chapter 5 in this edited version._

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**_The stress is taking over me. How in the world am I going to write about stuff like snogging in the infamous Astronomy Tower? *squirms*_

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